The house project in Jaguey, Perú - Post 5

As the summer comes to an end and Autumn begins, life on the farm becomes surprisingly busy. Tomatoes, green beans, peppers, etcetera need to be processed for meals over winter. The last flock of broilers is in the chicken tractors, and even they will need to be put up for the cold, dark months to come. It’s a beautiful time of change and solemnity. The long, warm days give way to long, cold nights. On the coolest of crisp nights, we can see Orion and longways through the Milky Way. I like to call it good sleeping weather, and unfortunately I have a rough time with slips into depression and often a fight to find my way to much needed productivity.

Around here we also begin to plan for summer in Camaná, pricing out plane tickets, and dreaming of splashing in the surf. It’s a strange juxtaposition in my mind, and it all still seems very surreal. I try to focus on the project down in Jaguey to dig my way up out of the doldrums of the rainy, chilly days we’ve been having lately. I hope a bit of an update on the house project will bring a little brightness to anyone who isn’t full on camp pumpkin spice this time of year.

So in my last house update, we left off back in June/July. Here are some photos from July and early August. Hope you enjoy!

In July, my brother-in-law Stiven sent photos of progress on the interior of the house. Here you can see the stairs from the Living Room up to the second floor.

Here is the living room stair heading up to the second floor.

This is from the top of that staircase, the view toward the stairs up to the roof and the door into the art studio.

View from the doorway into the Master Bedroom. You can see the cultivated lands of the neighbors and the ocean to the horizon.

On the roof of the house at the top of the stairs, view out to the farmlands and the ocean. I can’t wait to take the kiddos up with a telescope to see the stars in the Southern Hemisphere. We’ll put a railing up around the roof, of course!!

Three-quarter view of the house from the front, Camaná side. The windows on the second floor go to the Master Bedroom. The first floor windows go to the Living Room.

View of the Lima side of the house. The mystery wall is GONE!! Papá Miguel is standing in the doorway that leads to the Kitchen/Dining Room area. The Kitchen/Dining/Living is an open concept area that will have different floor tiles to define areas. To the left when entering this doorway is the walk in pantry area.

This is a view of the house from inside the Huerta (orchard) area. We hope to plant a variety of fruit trees including mango, papaya, lemons/limes, and avocados (“Palta” in Perú). To the left, there is an additional fenced area where we hope to establish perennial asparagus and strawberries.

Here’s a closer look from below the retaining wall.

Thank you so much for your interest and for joining us on this construction and homesteading journey. I don’t know exactly when the house will be completed, but my husband thinks it may be mostly done by December 2022/January 2023. I can’t wait to get set up and start planting the Huerta. Stay tuned for regular updates, and consider subscribing to my newsletter to receive an email when new posts are uploaded. Happy Autumn, everyone!